by Alander Rocha and Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]
October 12, 2026
Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor, debated against an empty podium Monday night after GOP nominee Rick Jackson declined to participate in the Atlanta Press Club’s debates.
The Loudermilk-Young debate series, organized by Atlanta Press Club in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting, is a two-day event featuring statewide candidates on the ballot in the general election. Early voting for the Nov. 3 election starts Tuesday.
Jackson, a wealthy healthcare executive, instead spent the day flying around the state talking to reporters and supporters, with stops planned for Columbus, Macon and Savannah, and ended the day with a rally near Augusta.
Bottoms and Jackson appeared together on the same stage last week for a town hall-style debate that will likely give Georgia voters their only side-by-side look at the candidates competing to be the state’s next top leader.
Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, used the half-hour forum Monday night to promote her platform, such as expanding Medicaid, fully funding pre-K and creating a fund for affordable and workforce housing. And, except for a few instances, she largely veered away from attacking her opponent, rarely gesturing to the empty podium as candidates often have in past debates when their opponents are absent.
During the debate, Bottoms had the opportunity to ask the podium a question she would have asked Jackson had he been there. She took the opportunity to discuss Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, which hasn’t been a big topic on the campaign trail so far. And she pointed to comments Jackson made over the summer, which were reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that a doctor would need to have evidence to prove an abortion was necessary to prevent facing legal consequences under the Georgia law. His campaign has disputed that as a mischaracterization.
“If he were here, I would ask, how do you prove that you have been raped in order to get an abortion?” Bottoms said at the debate. “He’s not here because he’s on his private jet flying around the state rather than having to answer to the people of Georgia about this irresponsible position.”
Bottoms did ramp up her attack on Jackson when taking questions from reporters after the debate, calling Jackson a “coward” for declining to participate in the debate and saying that skipping a debate that is televised statewide is a disservice to voters. Jackson is the first candidate for governor in a general election to opt out of the Atlanta Press Club debate series since 1994.
“Rick Jackson refuses to show up and answer unscripted questions before the public and even before the press. And if he is doing that as a candidate, what is it that we should expect from him if he were ever to be elected as governor? There’s no reason he should not have been here tonight,” Bottoms said.
Shortly before Bottoms’ solo act, Jackson stood on a stage in Grovetown just outside of Augusta for a rally with Gov. Brian Kemp.
Jackson defended his decision to skip Monday’s debate when talking to reporters in Atlanta, also with Kemp at his side.
“I have visited thousands of Georgians for the last nine months. I’ve gone hundreds of places. I’ve not had one voter ask me a question about debate. That’s not what’s important to them,” Jackson said. “What’s important to them is affordability, and gas prices going up, and paying bills, and our property taxes, and so forth.
“My priority is not the media and what they want. My priority is what Georgians want,” he added.
At the same stop in Atlanta, Jackson was asked to give an example of an issue where he disagrees with President Donald Trump. Jackson said he departs from Trump on data centers but didn’t offer specifics. Trump has opposed attempts to curb data centers and the advancement of artificial intelligence the facilities help support.
But Jackson said his position would also depend on the specifics of a situation.
“My priority is Georgia. It’s not the United States. What happens in D.C. we don’t have control of. What happens in the world? What happens in the weather? The question is, how are we going to respond to it?” Jackson said. “And just like Gov. Kemp, he responded and always did what was best for Georgians. That is my priority. No other priority is higher than representing Georgians. And I don’t care who comes here and says anything, but we will work with people.”
Jackson was endorsed by Trump after Jackson defeated the president’s first choice, and Jackson’s campaign confirmed that the Republican will campaign with Trump during the president’s visit to Dalton this Friday.
“Rick will be in Dalton and looks forward to reminding Georgia voters that bad mayors do not make good governors,” said Jackson campaign spokesman Garrison Douglas.
Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.